By The People Becoming A Practitioner Of Democracy Summary

As a first generation Indian-American, I am no stranger to being a part of a distinct community while observing two unique cultures. Traveling to India exposed me to a dynamic population with rich diversity comprising of numerous languages and differing religions. Though these individuals may have had differing customs from their neighbors, there were similar ambitions to conquer grinding poverty. This poverty can be clearly noticed by seeing citizens sleeping on floors of a railway station, or the lack of air conditioning in searing hot weather. The frailty and mortality of the human condition was starkly visible in India. As a fellow human, I was humbled not only by the lack of privilege and opportunity of many citizens, but also by their

From the early 1840s to the present day, a democracy can be described as a flawed establishment which has been shaped by the power of wealth and control, complex social relations, and most importantly the people’s desire to live a fulfilling life. Throughout this time period the principles of democracy, such as equality, protection of the people’s interest, and promotion of human rights were shifting in order to increase the democracy efficiency. Therefore the continued importance of the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and Constitution remain significant since, in American today, democracy is a system that is continuously being shaped by the people within it.

Anna Hazare is another example of an influential figure in India who has adapted Gandhi`s practice and initiated hunger strike movement in India last year to pressure the government to introduce a stringent Anti-Corruption Bill whereby corruption is deemed as the major problem in current India. The Bill was passed due to pressure initiated by the civil disobedience act which was public and essentially non-violent and received international level of support primarily from Indian and non-Indian citizens within the country and in overseas.14 India as the world largest democracy serves as the testament whereby such civil disobedience act ,provided that it is done in certain measures bear

No matter where one goes there will always be a set of rules that govern what behaviors are acceptable, and therefore create a certain society around that. Robert Dahl wrote the essay entitled “Why Democracy?” to explain the effects of government own its citizens. The Midshipman Regulations are no exception to influencing the society of the regiment. They create a society that closely mirrors the society Dahl envisions in his essay. The Midshipman Regulations intentionally create a certain kind of atmosphere that provides an outlet for moral responsibility, to develop as a person, but at the same time restricts numerous freedoms. Dahl’s idea of a democratic society closely follows what the Midshipmen Regulations are trying to create, but would

People Like Viola Desmond has demonstrated that one person can make a difference with the willpower, determination, and perseverance. It is important to reflect on the stories as they all have great lessons to educate. But the greatest lesson of all is the ability to regulates one's own opinion and give faith to what one believes in without external influences that have setbacks. Like Viola Desmond, we must take a risk or take that leap of faith, in order to succeed as we will always miss the target if we never aim towards it in the first place. Desmond not only having one appeal; as it was her second appeal that won; noting that we must have an open mindset towards all our goals in life. As we fail one day, it does not mean that we won't succeed

In the text book “Living Democracy,” by Daniel M. Shea, Joanne Connor Green, and Christopher E. Smith, it defines that checks and balances, “a system in our government where each branch (legislative, executive, judicial) has the power to limit the actions of others. For example, even though President Obama announced a decision to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan in December 2009, it did not automatically mean that Congress would appropriate the funds necessary to carry out the plan” (Shea, Green, and Smith 25). There are three branches that are shared but also are limited by each other. The whole reason for checks and balances is so that each branch can weigh each other out to where not one has more power than the other. The

Democracy is a form of government. Demokratia is democracy in greek,Demo meaning the people and Kratia meaning power or rule. In ancient greece there were different empires or states with democracy and some did not have democracy at all. For example here in the United States there is democracy not much of democracy but for the most part there is democracy. Using the 4th and 5th century athens was generally a democracy. Even though athens was said to be a democracy they really were not a democracy.

Personally, I believe we need a fraction of the progressive movement incorprated into our current government system. As a young American citizen, with my current knowledge regarding government, I am aware that change is something many people are uncomfortable with, whereas many others demand it as soon as it arrives. There will not be a movement that will satisy every American citizen, however, it is possible to reach an equalibrium which will move America one step forward in the long journey towards a foolproof system. Our Democracy is currently a successful program, although a progressive movement would also increase America's status. Focusing on creating a better quality of life for our citizens and improving many factors of our society

An editorial in a Nazi-run German newspaper claimed that blacks in the United States were treated worse than Jews in Germany. Black men and friendly white men were the main targeted group. Whites believed that African Americans deserved to endure harsh brutal lychings mainly behind dealings with a white woman. A black male was lynched for causing any slight discomfort to a white woman whether it was winking at them, looking directly into the face or eyes, failing to distance himself, touching or brushing against a white woman. African American’s issues became more dramatic after reconstruction and entering World War II. During the last decades of the nineteenth century, blacks enjoyed a little social independence, political inclusion, and educational

He recollects about his views on the changes Gandhi made despite his introverted personality. “I like viewing Gandhi not as the master strategist of social change that he later became, but as someone who at first was literally tongue-tied—shyer and more intimidated than almost anyone we can imagine. Given where he ended up on his subsequent journey, who knows what might be possible for the rest of us” (Loeb). Loeb explains that often times the efforts of activism does not produce immediate results. In most cases victories are only partial. The most important factor in protest is perseverance. The hardest step is initiating the first phase which is just getting involved in the community. Excuses range from “we’re too busy” to “I’m too busy to handle holding on to a job, paying the bills, and raising my children”. Everyone is busy in their own lives. No matter how pampered you are, there are always things to do. It is understood that some people may legitimately not have time to volunteer for a cause. But there is always time to do something for the cause. Donate money, food, time, etc. whatever you can to help. Loeb explains in one of his excerpts that current times are troubled and we as a society should take advantage of them by looking at what is causing these troubles. Economic, political, and cultural decisions are all topics to question when looking at social issues within our nation and on an even broader scale, our world. Decisions that will effect social issues should respect human worth and create a sustainable relationship with the earth. Loeb quotes one his friends in his book, Pete Knutson, an Alaskan fisherman who has been forced to degrade salmon populations for commercial profit. “We’re living in an imperfect world, we have to make choices and judgments that aren’t always easy. But you start with basic ethics, like

Brazil’s transition to democracy was long and drawn out, with effects of the old regime lasting through the twentieth century. Even today, Brazil has difficulty remaining a fully consolidated democracy, as lasting economic and social issues from the authoritarian regime ignite issues within the country. Rampant political corruption, economic instability, and shaky social inclusion characterize Brazil’s democratic development, and social unrest ignited political change in the years leading up to the drafting of Brazil’s new constitution in 1988. Though the constitution was written fairly recently in comparison with other constitutions like that of the United States, Brazil has amended its constitution several times since its initial

Since the initiation of the Third Wave of Democracy, several countries have attempted to form a democratic system of governs. We take note that not all have succeeded. At the dawn of this era, democracy was being applied to countries with no prior history of a governing body that was place by the people for the people hence success of such a system could not be guaranteed because of the innumerous variables that existed in each country. People being the highlighted factor of variance, it may become easier to understand how countries such as Pakistan and Nigeria, both countries prior to the Wave had no local governing machinery. Pakistan further endured a partition from India which resulted in not only an instant religious and

In order to answer the question “Can we have too many rights?” There are many things that we must consider, first we must be able to define exactly what rights are, how they work and what they do for citizens and then further into Political and civil rights in the same way as both are essential to the structure of a democracy and play very important roles in enabling citizens to take part in politics and help structure their democracy into something that is for the better. We will also closely examine Robert Dahl, Democracy and its Critics, by first going into a brief description of his opinions in chapters 12 and 13 relating to democracy and how rights affect it. Finally we will deconstruct that argument and find the weaknesses and strengths of his said opinion and come to a conclusion to our original question “Can we have too many rights”

Winston Churchill once remarked that “democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried”. In agreement with his statement, this paper will examine the problems of democratic governments using specific examples, and compare it to the failure of fascist governments in Nazi Germany and Italy and communist governments in the Soviet Union and China.

This paper will critically evaluate the methodology used in Robert Putnam’s Making Democracy Work. By relying on what the methodological arguments that were taught this semester, this paper will discuss and evaluate in detail the various methodological strategies employed by the author. For the ‘Theory’ theme, this paper will examine casual mechanisms (and methodological individualism) topic, closely referencing the course reading Social Mechanisms by Peter Hedstrom and Richard Swedbeg. Next, for the ‘Measurement and Data’ theme, this paper will specifically examine the measurement validity and reliability topic, and will closely reference “Measurement validity: A Shared Standard for qualitative and Quantitative Research” by Robert Adcock and David Colllier. Finally, for the ‘Testing Theory with Data Theory’, this paper will be examining the history as an explanation topic, closely referencing “The Study of Critical Junctures: Theory, Narrative and Counterfactuals in Historical Intuitionalism” by Giovanni Capoccia and Daniel Kelemen, as well as the relevant topic, Quantitative versus Qualitative Methods. The paper will start by summarizing the readings relevant to the topics of the themes, then delve into the pertinent methodology in Putnam’s book.